Shoulder-shield.



P. F. DUNIGAN.

SHOULDER SHIELD.

APPLICATION FILED I'EB.26, 1914.

1, 1 1 1 ,01 2. Patented Sept, 22, 191

6% F W BY WITNESSES M m J j W WW [HE NORRIS PETERS co. puorourno WASHINGTON I) 4 PETER F. D'U'NIGAN, 0F BLOOMFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

SHOULDER-SHIELD.

To all who n1 itmay concern i l Be it known that 1, PETER F. DUNIGAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bloomfield, inthe county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoulder- Shields, of which the following is a specification.

This device relates to shields and in particular to shields to protect the shoulder of a person when carrying an article of some weight, resting upon or suspended from the shoulder.

l-Ieretofore it has been the practice, when carrying a heavily loaded pouch, such for instance, as a mail pouch, to carry the same by suspending the pouch by means of its straps across the shoulder. It has also been the practice to carry other forms of articles, such for instance, as a gun, with the weight directly bearing on the shoulder beneath the gun. In these practices all of the weight is practically centered at one point.

It is an object of this invention to shield the shoulder by spreading the bearing of the weight of the objects carried to alarge proportion of the surface of the shoulder.

Another object of this invention is to retain the objects carried upon the shield by preventing them from slipping off the shield.

In the drawings: Figure l is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with a portion shown in section. Fig. 8 is an end view looking down upon the device in the direction indicated by the topmost arrow in Fig. 2, and Fig. l is a sectional view taken on the line d-l of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the lowermost arrows.

The herein described and illustrated device is but a preferredform and it is not in- 1 tended to be limited to the form shown other than what falls within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Similar characters refer to similar parts throughout the specification and drawings, in which :1 is a metallic sheet having an edge portion bent at right angles thereto, forming a flange 2. lhe flange 2 is cut away at its center portion, as at 3, and at this point the metallic sheet 1 is transversely curved or bent at approximately rightangles as at 4: in Fig. 2. This curved portion 4: is to conform with the contour of the bent to the contour of the shoulder,

Specification of Letters Patent. Pa,t@n't@dl S 3pf" 22; 1914 Application filed February 26, 1914-. Serial No. 8.213%. 1

shoulder, and the end portions of the sheet 1 are to straddle the same and to. extend down well upon the back and chest.

A suitable covering 5, preferably of leather is placed over the upper surface of the me tallic sheet 1 including the flange 2. A simi lar covering 6 covers the under surface of the sheet and flange, and said coverings 5 and 6 are stitched or sewed together at their meeting edges, as at 7 and S in Fig. 4. A padding material 9 is inserted between the under surface ofthe sheet and flange and the covering thereto, to allow of comfortably seating the device upon the shoulder.

Any suitable means for retaining the device upon the shoulder can be had, but in its preferred form a strap 10, having buckling connections 11 and 12 at each end of the device, is used. In the use of this strap, the device is properly placed upon the shoulder and the strap run across the back, under the opposite shoulder and arm, and back over the breast when it is buckled singly upon the user. Thearticle carried is then placed upon the device inside of the flange, where it is retained in proper place.

it will be noticed when a supporting strap of an article carrier is placed upon the device that the cut-away portion 3 formed in the flange will provide a suitable finger opening 3 through which the strap may be easily grasped when it is desired to remove the same. Further, the edges of this cutaway portion of the flange are formed substantially at atangent to the curved portion of the sheet 1 so as to provide a substantially straight or level support for a flat article such as a box or the like.

What is claimed, is:

1. A combined shoulder shield and article retaining device, comprising a plate member article retaining means formed on an edge of said member, said retaining means being constructed to permit access to the article for easy removal thereof, a covering to incase said member, and means to retain the device upon the shoulder.

2. A combined shoulder shield and article retaining device comprising a metallic plate bent at approximately rightangles and adapted to straddle the shoulder, a vertically disposed retaining flange formed by an upturned edge of each angle-portion and being spaced from each other, a covering incasing the plate and flange, and means to retain said device on the shoulder.

3. A device of the character described comprising a plate of sheet material, a flange 5 formed on said plate and laterally extending therefrom, said plate being bent transversely to fit over the shoulder, and said flange being cut-away adjacent to the bent portion of the plate so that the edge of the cut-away portion Will extendsubstantially 10 at a tangent thereto. 1

Signed at Bloomfield in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey this 21st day of February A. D. 1914;.

PETER F. DUNIGAN.

Witnesses: 1

PETER d QUINN, MICHAEL N. HIGGINS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G. 

